3 separate sexual assaults reported on Penn State campus early Saturday morning
Three separate sexual assaults were reported to have occurred on Penn State’s campus during Saturday’s early morning hours, with two of the forcible assaults coming in East Halls, according to timely warning notifications issued by the university.
It is the second time this calendar year where three forcible sex offenses were reported on the same day to Penn State police. (Feb. 28 was the first.) That never before happened prior to 2020, since the university started issuing timely warning notifications in 2015.
Here’s a look at each of Saturday’s reported offenses:
- Reported at 1:55 a.m.: At Nittany Apartments. A sexual assault was reported to have occurred between midnight and 1 a.m. Saturday by a man known to the victim.
- Reported at 4 a.m.: At East Halls. A third party reported that a sexual assault occurred between 12:45 a.m. and 1:15 a.m. Saturday by a man — believed to be unknown to the victim — on the first floor of the Johnston Commons women’s restroom. A university police spokesperson declined to clarify whether there were any suspects.
- Reported at 5:30 a.m.: At East Halls. A sexual assault was reported to have occurred sometime between 2 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. Saturday by a man known to the victim. The specific residence hall was not named.
There is no known connection between the most recent timely warnings, and and all incidents remain under investigation, university police public information director Jenn Cruden wrote in an email Saturday.
“We hope victims and others are feeling empowered to come forward as historically sexual assault is an underreported crime for a variety of reasons,” Cruden added.
Since August, there have been seven total sexual assaults reported at University Park. The two forcible sex offenses in East Halls account for the fourth and fifth such incidents in that residence hall complex so far this fall semester.
According to the timely warnings issued by Penn State, it can be “assumed that conditions continue to exist that may pose a threat to members and guests of the university community.”
University Park provides several resources for sexual assault victims, including medical assistance and emotional support, which can be found on the Title IX page at titleix.psu.edu/resources-penn-state-university-park and also as outlined elsewhere on the university’s website.
